What beer/experience turned you on to the world of craft beers? Any false starts along the way? For me it was a bomber of Unibroue's La Fin Du Monde. After drinking typical college swill (Natty Ice, Budweiser, etc.), La Fin was the first beer that wasn't a chore to finish. I'd tried other craft beers (Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale, Stone Brewing's Levitation) but my palate wasn't ready for them. How did your adventure begin?
For me it went something like this: Blue Moon>Blue Point>Dogfish Head>Current state of knowing too much for my wallet's own good.
Guinness Becks Octoberfest Allagash White DFH 60 Boston Lager Brooklyn Lager think I covered all bases...
Ruination! I dove right in. It was actually on a lark as I was headed out to lunch and my friend says "let's stop for a beer." I said "all beer tastes the same. Bland." I had a ruination and I never looked back.
I wandered off the beaten path one day to discover Bells Amber Ale. Woah fella! Is that.... Flavor? I haven't looked back. It's amazing how my pallet has changed so much in such a short time. From ambers to browns to pale ales. Then I found myself face to face with a beast of a a brew, the IPA and it quickly became my go to style. Now I am experimenting with stouts and porters and am finding I have a taste for them too.
Always looked for something different at the grocery stores, but for longest time the only good things were Sierra Nevada and Sam, neither of which got me thinking I definitely need to find more of this stuff. The beers that did that were found when Dogfish Head opened brewpubs in the DC area.
Near beer in the 1970's. Followed by Bud products in the 80's (or whatever we underaged teens could get our hands on). In college, it was usually whatever was cheapest (Milwaukee' best, etc.) until I discovered homebrewing. My first homebrew experience was all extract (munton and fison fosters clone kit). I then homebrewed off an on through the 90's. Anchor steam was probably the first small production beer I liked (before the term Craft was Craft). From then on, all beers were on the "must try" list. It's a good thing I run a bottle share in my city these days.
